


slowly drifting (to you)

by to-a-merrier-world (wayward_wolves)



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Feels, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, M/M, Reunion Sex, Reunions, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:22:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24974512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wayward_wolves/pseuds/to-a-merrier-world
Summary: After months apart, Bato rejoins the Southern Water Tribe fleet, and he brings news of Hakoda’s children and the Avatar with him. Hakoda and the rest of the Water Tribe men are overjoyed to be reunited with him, and soon a celebration breaks out. Hakoda and Bato, though, end up having a much more private reunion later that night.
Relationships: Bato/Hakoda (Avatar)
Comments: 38
Kudos: 370





	slowly drifting (to you)

**Author's Note:**

> can't believe my first atla fic is for this wonderful rarepair, but tbh, wouldn't have it any other way lol. this was inspired by Kirazalea's fic "It Has Only Just Begun" which had some sweet, subtle bakoda moments that i loved. if you like zukka, great characterization, and family feels, i highly recommend the whole series ["Let the Darkness Lead Us Into the Light"](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1791838)
> 
> title from the song “My Tears Are Becoming A Sea” by M83
> 
> anyways, this was fun to write and i hope y'all enjoy!

“Chief!” Karnok, one of the men on watch duty, called.

He was running up the beach to where Hakoda was eating dinner with some of his men. All of the men around the fire tensed, ready to jump into action. They’d been safe hiding in Chameleon Bay so far, but the Fire Nation Navy was a constant threat.

Hakoda stood to meet the man, placing his bowl of five-flavor soup on the sand.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“Nothing, sir! A Water Tribe ship was spotted approaching from the South,” Karnok said, panting slightly.

Hakoda’s eyes widened.

“Bato,” he said, face breaking out into a grin.

The news spread quickly and by the time Bato was maneuvering his ship into the Bay, someone had brought out the good alcohol and the men’s spirits had risen to soaring heights.

Hakoda couldn’t blame his men for their excitement. There wasn’t much to get excited over when fighting a war and being reunited with a friend you thought you might never see again was a damn good reason to celebrate.

Hakoda himself couldn’t wipe the smile off his face nor tear his eyes away from the approaching ship and the tall figure sailing it. It had been several long months sense he’d seen his oldest and dearest friend, and Hakoda had missed him deeply.

It had been difficult, leaving Bato behind at the abbey. It was bad enough that he’d been so severely injured but having to leave him on his own and possibly never see him again was damn near unbearable. It had felt like Hakoda was leaving a part of himself behind, almost akin to when he’d left Sokka and Katara. It was different, of course, but still devastating.

Leaving his children had felt like tearing his heart out and leaving it on the ice of the South Pole; leaving Bato had felt like cutting off his own arm.

Hakoda had left, though, and he didn’t allow himself to feel guilt for it. For either time. The rest of the men needed him to be strong, needed him to lead them, and he couldn’t afford to be crippled by guilt for doing what every man among them had to do. But he was always deeply sorry for doing it.

Before Hakoda knew it, Bato’s ship was casting its anchor next to the other Water Tribe ships.

“Hakoda!” Bato called, waving down from his ship.

Hakoda allowed his sorrowful memories to slip away to the back of his mind and smiled up at his dearest friend.

“Bato!”

Hakoda laughed as joy overtook his heart. Two of his men took a small boat out to his ship and brought Bato to shore. The moment he set foot on the sand, Hakoda was there to greet him.

Bato reached out and offered Hakoda the arm now covered in burn scars, and Hakoda hesitated for only a moment before reaching back. He grasped Bato’s forearm and the skin beneath his hand was rough and made Hakoda’s chest ache at the memory of how he’d received these scars. But when he looked up into his friend’s face, he saw only reassurance and joy.

Hakoda was the one that pulled him into a hug, wrapping his other arm around Bato’s shoulders. Bato laughed and hugged him in return, having to bend down a bit to wrap his own arm around Hakoda.

“Did you get shorter while I was gone?” Bato teased, breath ghosting against Hakoda’s neck.

Ignoring the way that made a shiver run up his back, Hakoda made a faux-offended noise and twisted until he’d pulled Bato into a headlock.

“Who’s short, you giant?” Hakoda asked, but Bato simply laughed in answer.

The men around them joined in, well used to Hakoda’s occasional antics, and all of them were swept up in the joy of Bato’s return. After a few seconds, Hakoda released him but kept his arm around his friend.

“Come on, I bet you’re hungry,” Hakoda said and began leading him towards camp, the other men following and patting Bato wherever they could reach as they passed. “We were just in the middle of dinner.”

“I am,” Bato agreed, throwing his own arm around Hakoda and waving to those that greeted him. “But I’ve got some news that might make you too excited to eat.”

Hakoda raised an eyebrow at that.

“What, did the Fire Lord have a sudden heart attack and die?”

Bato barked out a short laugh and shook his head. “I wish, but no.”

He smiled down at Hakoda and Hakoda almost tripped over his own feet at the look. It was the warmest and happiest he’d seen Bato since they’d left the South Pole, and it took his breath away.

“I met the Avatar,” Bato said, and Hakoda’s jaw dropped. “And you’ll never guess who his traveling partners are.”

“ _What?!_ Who?” Hakoda asked, confused over who in all the nations could be more impressive than the _Avatar_.

“Your children.”

Hakoda stopped in his tracks, forcing Bato to a jolting stop as well.

“What?!” Hakoda chocked out.

Bato gave him a kind look and clapped him on the shoulder.

“Come on. Something tells me you’re going to need to sit down for this.”

By the time Bato was wrapping up his story with Katara and Sokka deciding to go back with the Avatar, Hakoda’s heart felt like it might beat right out of his chest.

He was a strange mix of pride and sorrow—he was proud of his children, of their strength. He was proud of the people they’d become despite Hakoda’s absence in their lives the last three years. But he was also deeply saddened that he hadn’t gotten to see them, that he hadn’t taken Sokka ice dodging or seen how powerful Katara’s bending had become. Sad that his children had been brought into this war despite Hakoda leaving to protect them from it.

The rest of the men were overjoyed by Bato’s news. The Avatar was back and two of their own were escorting him to the Northern Water Tribe to learn waterbending.

Hakoda tried to temper his heartache. The men didn’t need to be brought down just because Hakoda was feeling sorry for himself and missing his children. Every father among them missed his children, after all. Hakoda wasn’t special in this.

Still, though, when Bato pulled him aside and away from the increasingly exuberant celebrations, Hakoda couldn’t help but feel relieved.

“I’m sorry,” Bato said once they were alone, hidden in the shadows between two tents.

Hakoda frowned. “What for?”

Bato sighed. “Ice dodging is meant to be between a father and son, and—”

“And Sokka needed to prove himself for his own self-confidence,” Hakoda interrupted him before he could finish his unnecessary apology.

Hakoda reached out and placed his hand on Bato’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

“Sokka needed it, and I’m _glad_ you were able to do that for him, Bato. If it couldn’t be me, I wouldn’t want it to be anyone but you.”

From where his hand still rested partly on Bato’s chest, Hakoda could feel the slight catch in his breath that comment elicited. Bato smiled down at him, and Hakoda felt his own breath stutter.

Hakoda was suddenly overwhelmed with gratitude for Bato. He let his hand slip from his shoulder until he was holding onto Bato’s arm and he let his head hang for a moment.

“Hakoda?” Bato asked, confusion clear in his voice.

Hakoda shook his head and looked back up at Bato, expression soft.

“It’s nothing. I’m just so thankful to have you in my life.”

Bato’s expression softened, as well, and he reached up to grab Hakoda’s arm in return.

“Have I ever thanked you for all you’ve done for me?” Hakoda asked, only barely attempting at a joking tone.

“You’re my friend, Hakoda. My family. You don’t have to thank me for anything I’ve done.”

“That doesn’t stop me from being grateful,” Hakoda responded.

“You have _always_ been there for me, for as long as I can remember. And not just as my partner in crime,” Hakoda teased, making Bato chuckle.

Hakoda’s smile slipped away as he continued, wanting to impart how serious he was.

“You were there for every bumbling step I took with Kya. You were there when Sokka and Katara were born, and became the most amazing uncle any kid could ask for. You were there when my father died, when Kya’s parents died, when Kya…”

Bato’s hand slipped up to the back of Hakoda’s neck and squeezed, offering silent comfort. Hakoda closed his eyes briefly, centering himself and allowing Bato’s hand to ground him.

“You and my mother held our family together when I fell apart after, and _you’re_ the one that helped me pull it together for Sokka and Katara’s sakes, for our _people’s_ sake. And now you’ve saved my life more times than I care to count, and I just… I need you to know that I don’t take you for granted. That I’m _so_ thankful to have you in my life, Bato.”

“Hakoda…” Bato said, voice thick with emotion. He closed his own eyes and breathed deeply before responding.

“ _I_ need _you_ to know that all I’ve done, I’ve done willingly and with my heart. And I do not take you for granted, either.”

They were close now, so close that if anyone came upon where they were hidden among the tents, they would assume they were embracing. So close that Hakoda could feel Bato’s breath brushing against his face.

Hakoda wished, in that moment, to pull Bato closer, so close that they could never be parted again. It was a childish sentiment, one Hakoda knew stemmed from all he’d lost and all he’d left behind to fight a war their people were forced into, but knowing these things didn’t make the feeling go away.

Bato’s head bent closer to his, their eyes locked, and so much emotion was swirling in Hakoda’s chest he felt on the edge of being swept away by it. For a brief moment, Hakoda’s eyes darted down to Bato’s mouth, and he could feel as much as hear Bato’s sharp intake of breath.

“Bato,” Hakoda whispered, his own voice gone hoarse with emotion. “I—”

A loud cheer rose up near one of the fires and startled them both into pulling away. They looked at each other in surprise before Hakoda awkwardly cleared his throat.

“I should, uh, go tell them to quiet down,” he said, gesturing to the fire.

“Right,” Bato agreed, equally awkward.

Hakoda nodded before turning on his heel and marching back towards the fire, Bato following a few steps behind. He couldn’t help but berate himself for getting so swept up in the moment and his own emotions without even _considering_ —

Hakoda shook his head and firmly put everything to the back of his mind to deal with _later_.

🌊 🌊 🌊

 _Later_ turned out to be much sooner than Hakoda expected.

Although the men had quieted down after Hakoda rejoined them, the celebration went on well into the night. Both Hakoda and Bato joined in, but whatever had happened between them left neither of them in a drinking mood.

Still, they ate and talked with the rest of the men, and while Hakoda was always painfully aware of Bato’s every movement and word, it was still the best night he’d had in months.

However, when the celebration started to wind down and men started heading for their tents, the awkward air between Bato and Hakoda came to the forefront once more.

“So—” Hakoda started.

“I—” Bato said simultaneously.

They both stopped and chuckled, before Hakoda shook his head at himself for being so ridiculous. This was _Bato_. There was no reason for him to be acting this way.

“Come on,” Hakoda said, standing and stretching. “No one bothered to prepare your tent, so you can sleep in mine tonight.”

Bato smiled, putting out the last embers of the fire before standing to join him.

“Are we going to share a sleeping bag, too? I left mine on the ship.”

Hakoda’s heart jumped, but he didn’t let it show. Instead, he laughed.

“Nothing we haven’t done before,” he replied. “Remember that time—”

Bato laughed. “We got caught in a snowstorm while hunting and almost died?”

Hakoda snorted, picking his way through the tents to reach his own, using the light of the moon to guide him.

“I meant more the part where we had to cuddle for warmth in an abandoned polar bear dog den, but yes,” Hakoda said, ducking inside his tent and holding the flap open for Bato.

“Abandoned?” Bato asked, nearly bending in half to enter the tent. “You and I remember that story differently, I think. I happen to recall a mother polar bear dog chasing us for half a mile and almost biting your head off.”

Hakoda shrugged, looking up at Bato innocently from where he was spreading out his sleeping bag so it was big enough for two. Bato grabbed the folded blankets that were tucked away and brought them to him.

“How was I supposed to know she’d come back?”

Bato looked down at him flatly and purposefully dropped the heavy blankets on Hakoda’s lap, making him grunt.

“Yes, how could you have possibly known after I pointed out all the markings that meant it had been recently used?”

They stared at each other for a moment before they both broke down into laughter. Bato dropped to his knees in front of Hakoda and patted him on the shoulder.

“At least I’ll never be without stories to tell Sokka and Katara. They can’t get enough of them,” Bato chuckled.

Hakoda’s smile slipped away somewhat at the mention of his children, the constant ache in his chest reminding him of its presence.

“Sorry,” Bato said, grimacing. “I—”

Hakoda reached up and placed his palm over his friend’s mouth.

“Stop apologizing to me, Bato,” Hakoda chided softly. “I’d rather hear about your meeting with my children and have my heart ache than have to rely solely on my own memories and the hope that they are doing okay.”

Bato pulled Hakoda’s hand away, but didn’t release it, instead holding it in his lap.

“They wanted to see you again, so badly,” Bato said, squeezing Hakoda’s hand in his.

Hakoda had to squeeze his eyes shut for a moment and breathe deeply.

“I want to see them, too,” Hakoda whispered. “I miss them like a drowning man misses _air._ But I am also so, _so_ proud of them.”

Bato leaned forward and rested his forehead against Hakoda’s, offering silent comfort. Hakoda sighed and leaned into him, allowing Bato’s warmth to surround him, his hand still caught in Bato’s.

After several moments of silence, Hakoda tilted his head until their noses brushed and Bato’s breath ghosted against his lips.

“Hakoda…” Bato whispered before leaning away.

Hakoda bit his tongue hard to keep from reacting and looked up into Bato’s eyes, nerves making his heart race. But Bato’s expression was concerned, not upset or embarrassed.

“Are you… certain? About this?” Bato asked, eyes searching Hakoda’s face. “I do not want this if you aren’t—”

“Bato,” Hakoda interrupted him, though his tone was kind. “I’ve been thinking about this for a while, actually.”

Bato’s eyebrows jumped up to his hairline in surprise.

“Really?” He asked, disbelieving.

Hakoda chuckled and looked down at where Bato still held his hand. He turned his hand until he was holding Bato’s in return and began running his thumb over his scarred skin.

“Yes. It’s been building for a while, I think you know that, but I wasn’t able to admit anything to myself until I had to leave you behind at the abbey,” Hakoda admitted.

Bato squeezed his hand and Hakoda looked back up into the eyes he’d known and loved his entire life.

“I loved Kya,” he whispered. “And I always will. But I also love you. I have loved you as a friend, as a brother, as an uncle to my children. And I know Kya would want me to let myself… fall in love, again. She would want me to be happy.”

Hakoda reached up with his free hand and threaded it through Bato’s hair, his expression soft and vulnerable.

“This would make me happy,” he said.

Bato’s eyes softened and Hakoda couldn’t stop himself from leaning forward and pressing their lips together. It was slow and chaste, until Bato pressed forward, untangling his hands from Hakoda’s to frame his face instead.

They kissed and kissed, and Hakoda let himself be swept up by the feeling of Bato’s lips and tongue and teeth.

By the time they pulled apart, Hakoda’s lips were tingling and his whole body was flushed with warmth. They looked into each other’s eyes for a moment before Bato was leaning forward again, this time pressing biting kisses to Hakoda’s neck.

Hakoda groaned lowly, his hand moving to the back of Bato’s head and pressing just enough to encourage him to continue. While Bato’s mouth paid careful attention to Hakoda’s throat, his hands roamed over Hakoda’s sides and back.

Hakoda’s other hand slipped beneath Bato’s tunic to run over his chest. When his hand brushed over the start of his burn scar, he felt Bato’s breath catch and stutter.

“Is this okay?” Hakoda asked, his voice rough and low.

Bato groaned against his neck. “Koda… you can touch me any way you want.”

Hakoda suddenly felt electrified, like he’d been shot through with lightning, but in a far more pleasant way than reality.

“Koda?” He asked, voice feeling a bit chocked. “And _any way I want?_ You sure you want to make that promise?”

Bato pulled back enough for Hakoda to see as him roll his eyes. “Don’t I always mean what I say? I doubt you like anything I don’t like, too.”

Hakoda grinned at that and hummed. He used the hand still in Bato’s hair to tilt his head back, Hakoda moving until he was leaning over him.

“And Koda?” He asked.

Bato’s eyelids lowered in clear appreciation at the new position, his breath quickening.

“You don’t like it?” He asked.

Hakoda smiled and leaned forward until his lips rested against Bato’s.

“I do,” he whispered, and then Bato was surging upward and sealing their lips in a heated kiss.

Hakoda let himself be pulled forward until Bato was lying on his back, Hakoda holding himself above him as they kissed. Their hands had grown more insistent, their breathing getting heavier as they started pushing at each other’s clothes.

Hakoda pulled back, panting, to ask, “Do you want—”

“Yes,” Bato interrupted him, and Hakoda couldn’t help but laugh breathlessly.

“You don’t even know what I was going to ask.”

“It doesn’t matter, my answer is still yes,” Bato responded, grinning up at him.

Hakoda laughed again and couldn’t stop himself from leaning forward to playfully bite Bato’s nose.

“Cheeky bastard,” he muttered before sitting back up.

He pulled his own tunic open and off, leaving him in just his pants. He helped Bato do the same, but they quickly got side-tracked kissing and running their hands over each other to undress further.

Eventually, Hakoda pulled his mouth away from Bato’s and began trailing kisses down his neck to his shoulder. When he reached Bato’s scar, he paused, and Hakoda’s kisses turned gentle and almost reverent.

The scar wasn’t pretty. The skin was twisted and rough, thicker than the surrounding skin and darker, too. But it was also the most beautiful thing in the world because it meant Bato was _alive._ If the scar didn’t exist, Bato would be dead, and so Hakoda was grateful for the scar’s existence.

Bato’s hand pushed into Hakoda’s hair and moved his head back enough for them to look at each other. Hakoda couldn’t help but to roll his hips downward in that moment, almost desperate to see Bato’s reaction.

Bato groaned, his own hips bucking up to meet Hakoda’s.

“Koda,” he grunted.

“Yeah,” Hakoda agreed nonsensically, and moved to pull at the ties on both their pants.

Hakoda knew he was too worked up to last long enough for anything more than his and Bato’s hands, but he also wasn’t sure if he was quite ready to go past that, anyway. The only person he’d ever touched like this before was Kya, and that was a trail of thought he didn’t particularly want to follow at the moment.

Fortunately, Bato had made it abundantly clear that he was okay with whatever Hakoda wanted, and he seemed fully on board with the way things were going.

Bato’s hand joined Hakoda’s to help release them both from the confines of their undergarments, and Hakoda couldn’t hold back the moan that slipped out when Bato’s hand brushed against him.

“Come on, Koda,” Bato urged, and Hakoda shuddered at the name.

He hadn’t been kidding when he’d said he’d liked it.

When they were both free, Hakoda wasted no time taking them both in hand. They both hissed at the new sensation, Bato bucking upwards into Hakoda’s hand.

“This is going to be short,” Hakoda joked, breathless.

Bato huffed. “Shut up and kiss me.”

Hakoda didn’t hesitate to lean down and capture Bato’s mouth in a biting kiss. Bato’s hands roamed over Hakoda’s back and arms as they kissed and Hakoda jerked them both off.

It really wasn’t long before Hakoda felt his orgasm building inside him. His hand started pumping faster, and Bato groaned beneath him. Their kiss grew messier as they both lost themselves to the moment.

Bato’s hands reached down and grabbed Hakoda’s ass, pulling him forward as Bato rolled his hips. Hakoda moaned, his hips stuttering as his orgasm suddenly crashed into him. His hips and hand kept moving as he came, the movement getting easier and slicker with every passing moment. 

A few seconds later, Bato followed after him, moaning into Hakoda’s mouth as his body went taut beneath him. Hakoda worked him through his orgasm until Bato finally pushed his hand away, panting.

Hakoda pressed a sloppy kiss to Bato’s chest and sighed in contentment, letting his head rest against his chest for a moment.

“So, that was nice,” he commented once his heart wasn’t racing anymore.

“Yes, it was,” Bato responded, sounding amused.

Hakoda couldn’t hold back the smile that spread across his face, even though he knew he probably looked ridiculous. He pressed another kiss to Bato’s chest, because it was there and he could, and then did it again because it was just a very nice chest.

He would have kept going if his groin wasn’t growing uncomfortably cold with drying come, so he rolled off of Bato after a final kiss to his scarred shoulder. He grabbed his own tunic and used it to clean himself off before offering it to Bato to do the same.

Once they were both cleaned off and Hakoda’s tunic was tossed away, Hakoda leaned back on his hand and looked down at where Bato was lying back with his eyes closed, expression peaceful. Hakoda’s heart swelled at the sight of him, and he couldn’t tear his eyes away even if he’d wanted to.

“I can feel you staring,” Bato murmured, lips twitching up into a smile.

He cracked his eyes open and looked up at Hakoda.

“Are you going to join me, or stare all night?” He asked.

Hakoda grinned and grabbed one of the blankets, throwing it over them both before pressing himself firmly against Bato’s side, his head resting on Bato’s uninjured shoulder. Bato huffed and repositioned himself until he was comfortable, one arm wrapped around Hakoda’s back to keep him close.

Bato pressed a lingering kiss to Hakoda’s temple, and Hakoda closed his eyes and hummed in pleasure. Sleep quickly crept up on him, but before he could fully go under, Bato spoke again.

“Koda?” He whispered, breath ghosting over Hakoda’s forehead.

“Hm?” Hakoda hummed, nearly asleep.

“This would make me happy, too.”

Hakoda smiled as he drifted off into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

🌊 🌊 🌊

The next morning when Bato unloaded his ship and rather obviously left his sleeping bag in Hakoda’s tent, none of the other men batted an eye or made any comments. In fact, there might have even been a few sighs of relief.

Hakoda supposed that was fair, though he’d thought he’d done a better job hiding his moping these last few months. He couldn’t help but smile, though, at his men’s easy acceptance.

There wasn’t much to smile at when fighting a war, and Hakoda would cherish every moment he got.

**Author's Note:**

> kudos and comments are very appreciated!!


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